New Clark City (also called Clark Green City or New Clark Green City) is a planned community under-development located in Capas, Tarlac, Philippines. It has an area of approximately 9,450 hectares (23,400 acres) and will accommodate up to 1.2 million people. It is managed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). IGS featured (part 1) Clark City in our December issue 2018; click here to discover more about the city of the future. And…stay tuned for part 2 in our Spring Issue 2019.
Naming
The project was named “Clark” for marketing purposes for potential investors in the area. This naming decision was made despite being located in Tarlac and not in Pampanga (the location of the already existing Clark Freeport Zone) due to the latter being more known to foreign investors. The BCDA compared this with the situation of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which was Olongapo and Morong, Bataan, and not in Subic, Zambales.
History
In March 2015, the Philippine Congress approved House Resolution 116 in support of Clark Green City. The development is under the management of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA). The BCDA signed a 100-year contract with Filinvest to develop the 288 hectares (710 acres) of land allocated for the project. The development authority also managed to make partnership with foreign firms to develop Clark Green City such as United Arab Emirates-based Al Ahli Holding Group which plans tourism-related projects in the area, Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corp. which plans to connect Clark Green City to Manila as well as surrounding cities by rail, and IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute which will assist the BCDA to come up with “smart and disaster-resilient” features for the planned community. An agreement was also signed between Paris-based Vivapolis.
The groundbreaking rites for the Clark Green City, led by then-President Benigno Aquino III was made in April 11, 2016. The development later became one of the flagship projects of the administration of Aquino’s successor, Rodrigo Duterte.
Geography
New Clark City spans an area of 9,450 hectares (23,400 acres) and is located within the Clark Special Economic Zone. The development is located in the municipality of Capas, Tarlac although it is administered from Angeles, Pampanga.
The development is not a flood-prone area with its minimum elevation being at 54 metres (177 ft) above sea level and its planned central park also serves as a flood catchment basin. The Sierra Madre mountain range is located on the development’s east while the Zambales mountain range is located on the west, with both geographical features providing Clark Green City a natural protection from typhoons. The maximum elevation of New Clark City is at around 800 metres (2,600 ft). The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has assessed the area to be relatively less prone to earthquakes.
Sports
The sports complex at the National Government Administrative Center, which contains an athlete’s village, an aquatic center and a 20,100-seater stadium, is currently under construction. New Clark City was selected to be the main host of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which will be taking place all over Luzon.
Transportation
The planned Philippine National Railways (PNR) Manila-Clark Railway will connect New Clark City to the capital, Manila. NCC is served by the Clark International Airport.
New Clark City will also be served by the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) and Central Luzon Link Expressway specifically through the 6.98 km (4.34 mi) six-lane New Clark City-Mac Arthur Access Road which will connect the NCC to MacArthur Highway.
Video courtesy of CNN Philippines